WW18 in Buffalo

New facility also to host Sledge Hockey Worlds

Harborcenter, which opens in October, will host the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship in Buffalo in January. Photo courtesy of USA Hockey

BUFFALO – USA Hockey named Buffalo as the host city of the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship that will be played 4-12 January 2015.

The eighth edition of the U18 Women’s Worlds will be the second hosted in the United States after Woodridge, Illinois, in 2010.

The city in the state of New York close to the border with Canada will also host the 2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championship, 24 April to 2 May.

Harbocenter, a facility with two ice sheets that will be completed soon, will be the venue for both events.

“We’re extremely pleased to bring these two world championships to Harborcenter,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “The athletes and fans will be treated to a state-of-the-art facility in an area where hockey is an everyday passion. Between the Harborcenter and Sabres staff, the local community and our terrific New York affiliate, we have an infrastructure in place that will ensure an outstanding experience for everyone involved.”

“To have the opportunity to host two world championships in the span of four months is terrific not only for Harborcenter, but also our community,” said John Koelmel, president of Harborcenter. “We’re proud of the confidence USA Hockey has in us and we look forward to welcoming athletes and fans from across the world.”

"A strong relationship with USA Hockey is important to us," said Ted Black, president of the Buffalo Sabres, "and we're excited to bring these two world class events to Buffalo and Harborcenter. We'll work hard to have visitors leaving these events excited to come back."

Harborcenter, which is slated to open in downtown Buffalo in early October, includes two ice sheets, each 200’ x 85’ (60.96 x 25.91 metres), as well as 11 locker rooms. The main arena has seating for 1,800, while the second rink has a capacity of 500.

The 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship will feature teams from the United States, Canada, Czech Republic and Russia in Group A and Finland, Sweden, Japan and Switzerland in Group B. Team USA, which has played in the gold-medal game in each of the first seven editions of the event, has captured the event’s top prize three times (2008, 2009, 2011).

“It’s exciting to bring the Under-18 Women’s World Championship to Harborcenter,” said Reagan Carey, director of women’s hockey for USA Hockey and also the general manager for the 2015 U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team. “Fans will have a unique opportunity to see the best athletes in the world compete for a gold medal.”